President Barack Obama stands with musician Randy Jackson, as Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, played by Brad and Victoria Oscar, at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

The following story was written by Washington bureau reporter Kase Wickman.

Months before President Barack Obama was scheduled to flip the switch on the National Christmas Tree in front of the White House last night, the 30-foot living Colorado blue spruce was a hot topic on Internet forums.

The big question that bloggers were pondering: Will Obama refer to it as a “Christmas” tree or a “holiday” tree?

And while there are other, more consequential, topics for public debate, the so-called “War on Christmas” has become a hot annual subject at this time of year.

The election of Obama, the first American president with a non-Christian father, has prompted conspiracy theorists to set the Internet ablaze with fallacious predictions about Obama’s Christmas-related plans.

One message posted on the PoliticalForum.com message board by a person identified as “italian_ice” declared that Obama would have “neither” a Christmas tree nor a “holiday” tree.

“As a Muslim,” the person falsely asserted, “he’ll celebrate Eid al-Adha, during which he would reflect on his hatred for other races and religions.”

AP photo

Michelle Obama, with daughters Sasha and Malia, stand with the White House Christmas tree as it was delivered to the White House.

In fact, the White House confirms that the name of the Christmas tree will remain, as it has since the tradition’s inception during President Calvin Coolidge’s administration in 1923: the National Christmas Tree.

Of course, that’s not enough to convince conservative Christian groups of a secular conspiracy against their holy season.

“Over the last several years, there has been a kind of war on Christmas, and fairly overwhelming attempts to strip Christ from Christmas and strip the religious foundation from the holiday,” said Wendy Wright, president of the conservative group Concerned Women for America. “Things like this have become a litmus test as to what side you stand on, and the majority of people want the freedom to say ‘merry Christmas.'”

The National Christmas Tree is just one of the many Christian symbols in public spaces in Washington this holiday season.

There’s the Capitol Christmas Tree, the White House Blue Room Christmas Tree and dozens of other unnamed Christmas trees that will decorate the White House and its surrounding grounds for the rest of the month.

Only once has Christmas been stricken from a tree — and that was by a Republican.

In 1995, House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., citing political correctness and a spirit of inclusion, renamed his the Capitol Holiday Tree. In 2005, Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., wrote to the Architect of the Capitol, which oversees the decorations at the Capitol, to plead the case for changing the name back.

“I strongly urge that we return to this tradition and join the White House, countless other public institutions and millions of American families in celebrating the holiday season with a Christmas tree,” he wrote in the November 2005 letter.

His request was granted, and the name was restored.

The Blue Room Christmas Tree has also always been called a “Christmas” tree. White House officials tried to shut down rumors that they would shift to a “holiday” tree by simply forwarding an official White House video from last Friday, captioned, “The First Lady is presented with the official White House Christmas tree, which this year comes from Shepherdstown, West Virginia.”

When it comes to expressing joy during this season, Christmas is the leading American symbol. A recent Rasmussen Reports poll found. Polling found that 72 percent of adults who responded preferred to say “Merry Christmas,” while 22 percent prefer the secular greeting, “happy holidays.”

Despite the Internet clamor, even liberal groups said they are comfortable with the tradition of the White House, Capitol and National Christmas Trees.

“We don’t have a problem with anyone calling a Christmas tree a Christmas tree, just the same as we don’t have any problem calling a menorah a menorah,” said Drew Courtney, press secretary for liberal political advocacy group People for the American Way.

Politically neutral groups, like the National Christmas Tree Association, which holds an annual contest to decide which farm will supply the Blue Room Christmas Tree, said that the online hubbub over what the trees should be called is ridiculous.

“I think it’s really just a bunch of Internet scuttlebutt from people who need a hobby,” Rick Dungey, public relations manager for the NCTA, said. “People just have too much time on their hands.”

No matter what the tree is called, Dungey said, what’s important is that it’s not made of plastic.

“It’s a real tree that’s grown on a real farm in America, displayed in the most famous home in the country,” he said.